Recycled Brooklyn’s Guide to Upcycling

Go hunting

BIG is the city’s only non-profit retail outlet for salvaged and surplus building supplies. Its warehouses in Brooklyn and Queens are constantly adding to an already extensive inventory, which includes cabinetry, slate roofing tiles and cast brass doorknobs.

Housed in Upper Manhattan and open for more than 35 years, this spacious store sells the finest salvaged windows, doors, plumbing and other architectural artifacts. You’ll also find fixtures such as fireplace mantels, cast- iron balustrades, and wrought-iron lanterns.

The free section (under “for sale”) features a treasure trove of items that people are throwing away. Check the site daily for unwanted goods and save them for future projects if they aren’t an immediate perfect fit.